Punishment to Protection
by Yukishirou Setsuna
Summary: Lorianne Kendrick lands herself in a really bad situation when she crosses Umbridge. As she lies in a threatening situation, an unexpected person comes to help her - both out of her current predicament and her dark life.
1. Chapter 1

I'm on a roll. But it won't last, I'm sure. Cuz I have a huge project that I really need to continue, but man, my brain just can't sit still.

Big shout out to mysnarkyslytherinsecret from Tumblr for inspiring me to do this!

And thank you, guys, for reading it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. :I

 **Warning: There are mentions of abuse.**

* * *

It was a bad idea to talk about Dolores Umbridge while she was still in the room. Lorianne Kendrick knew this, but she couldn't help it. The old toad was picking on Neville again for something he didn't do or something couldn't help. And if there was one thing Lorianne couldn't stand, it was people picking on those who couldn't muster up the courage to defend themselves.

"That ugly old toad's only doing it cuz it makes her feel better about herself," she hissed to one of her friends, shooting her a contemptuous glance.

"Yeah," he agreed, also shooting her a dark look.

"She knows she's got an ugly face with an ugly personality to boot," she continued, scribbling on her parchment to make it look like she was working. "Bet she picks on the people who're beautiful cuz she's – "

"Ssh!" her friend hissed and she fell silent.

A second later, a shadow appeared over her. Lorianne glanced up, looking as innocent as possible.

"Oh, hello, Professor," she greeted with forced kindness.

The thin smile on her face grew wider. "Hello, Miss Kendrick. Mind sharing with me what you were gossiping about with your friend?"

"Gossiping?" She feigned confusion. "I apologize, Professor, I don't understand what you mean by that. Henry and I were only talking about the next Quidditch match."

Her friend, Henry, quickly nodded. "Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw. We were just talking about how well our house will fare now that Harry isn't able to participate anymore."

"Oh, yes," Umbridge said with false sympathy. "It is quite a shame. If he had only showed more restraint towards Mr. Malfoy. Mr. Potter has such the bad temper."

 _This wouldn't have happened if Malfoy wasn't a stupid fucking git,_ Lorianne thought dully, flipping the page in her textbook. _And you didn't interfere with McGonagall dealing out the punishment…!_

"Is there something wrong, Miss Kendrick?" Umbridge asked.

"Huh?" Her head shot up with genuine surprise. "No, ma'am, there's absolutely nothing wrong. I'm just going through my reading as per your instructions."

"Oh, is that so?" She tilted her head back and Lorianne had a sudden swooping feeling in her stomach. "And here I thought you were glaring at me for, ah, what was it? Oh yes, taking it out on others to make me feel better about myself."

The black-haired girl couldn't help the look of horror that crossed her face.

Her smile grew predator-like. "Meet me in my office after supper, Miss Kendrick. And do take care to eat and drink a lot – you will need it."

She turned and stalked off. If sound effects were a thing, Lorianne was sure evil laughter and the sound of darkness engulfing the woman would be playing.

"How the fuck – " she managed out once Umbridge was on the other side of the room.

"Your question is as good as mine," Henry responded, staring after her with an expression of utter shock.

"What do you think she's going to do…?" Lorianne's friend on her other side whispered, horrified.

"I heard from Ron she forced Harry to write lines with his blood," a boy from Henry's other side said in hushed tones. "Said she gave him a special quill, told him he didn't need any ink. When he started writing, it was in red and whatever he wrote was cut into the back of his hand!"

"Oh, that's horrible…!" she gasped.

"Julie!" he quickly shushed, pressing a finger over his lips and casting a glance over at Umbridge.

She clapped her hands over her mouth with a fearful gasp, but thankfully, the woman was too busy smiling down at Malfoy to have noticed.

"We'll get a bottle of Mum's salve ready when you get back," Henry promised. "Just try not to slip up and punch her face, eh?"

* * *

Evening came much, much quicker than Lorianne anticipated or wanted. She hitched her bag higher on her shoulder as she held up her hand. She inhaled deeply and knocked on the door twice.

"Come in!" called a sugary voice. She shuddered, but obeyed.

Lorianne stopped short just after stepping past the threshold and blinked. The entire place had been resurfaced with some kind of lacy cloth or cover and much of it was pink with flower patterns. Behind the desk, of which Umbridge sat at, was a large wall full of ornamental plates with pictures of cats of all colors and sizes on them. Lorianne, who was an avid cat lover, was slightly revolted and felt pity for the poor cats that were subjected to that kind of torture.

" _Hem hem,_ " Umbridge coughed.

The black-haired girl tore her gaze away from the wall. "My apologies. Good evening, Professor."

"At least you remembered your manners," she responded with a sickeningly sweet smile. "Good evening, Miss Kendrick. Please have a seat."

She obliged, another swooping feeling settling in her stomach. She could feel the icy tendrils of fear trickling the back of her neck.

"Before we begin, is there anything you would like to drink?" the woman asked.

Lorianne stared at her. "Pardon me – _what?_ "

"What would you like to drink, Miss Kendrick?" she repeated, her smile widening. "Tea? Coffee? Or perhaps some pumpkin juice?"

An alarm went off in the back of her head.

"I'm quite all right, Professor," she answered. "Thank you for offering. Besides, I drank plenty before I came, as per your instructions."

"Oh, but I insist. Your lips look quite parched – you may not have drunk enough."

A voice in the back of her head, which sounded suspiciously like Alastar Moody, growled, _Don't you dare take that drink! That woman is the enemy – she would've poisoned it!_ But the look on Umbridge's face told the girl she was close to forcing her to choose something. Or get unpleasant. Lorianne would have to play along – for now.

"Then, may I have some coffee?" she requested quietly.

The sickly sweet smile of hers was frightening. "But of course, my dear."

The cup appeared with a simple wave of her want, but before Lorianne could grab it, Umbridge whisked it away, saying, "Just a moment, dear, I need to add some milk and sugar. After all, straight black coffee is terribly bitter – don't you agree?"

Before she could lie that she liked black coffee, the woman turned around and made a big show of adding the aforementioned ingredients. Lorianne's bad feeling sank even lower. It was so painstakingly obvious now that Umbridge was adding some sort of poison in it. But poisoning students was illegal. As a Ministry of Magic employee, surely the woman knew that?

"Here you are, dear, thank you for waiting."

The woman handed Lorianne the cup. She was careful to let a bit spill into the saucer to make it seem like she drank a sip. If it was at all possible, Umbridge's smile stretched even wider. Her eyes practically bulged out of her head and Lorianne became a little revolted by the way she looked now – even more like a gruesome toad.

"Now, then, Miss Kendrick," the woman began, "the reason why I asked you in today is quite simple – to talk to you about your behavior today."

Lorianne couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, but managed to stop herself from asking if that was all. After all, she had been expecting a week of detention where she had to write lines in her own blood.

"Why, pray tell, would you say something as horrendous as that?" she asked.

"…" The black-haired girl stared at her for a few seconds, trying to figure out the best, innocent answer as possible. "I… you'll have to forgive me, Professor. My mouth sometimes runs when my mind is elsewhere."

"Elsewhere?" she asked, feigning surprise.

"Yes," she confirmed. "As you recall, I told you Henry and I were talking about the next Quidditch match. Before I saw you, er… scolding Neville, that's what we were really doing. Then I saw that and the words just slipped out of my mouth." She bowed her head, at the same time discretely pouring some of her drink into the bin next to her. "I do deeply apologize for any discomfort or hurt my thoughtlessness may have caused."

All of it lies, but Lorianne had so much experience acting and lying at this point, she was confident Umbridge would buy her performance.

She didn't.

"You haven't drunk much of your coffee," she remarked, her voice surprisingly lofty.

Lorianne's head shot up. "I'm sorry?"

The cup in her hands were three-quarters of the way full. She had made sure not to pour too much out at once or else Umbridge would get suspicious.

"You haven't touched your coffee," she repeated.

"Oh! Oh… yes… Forgive me, Professor, I'm just… a tad nervous, speaking to someone in such authority such as yourself. Excuse me – " Lorianne lifted the cup to her pursed lips again.

There were two sudden impacts the moment the cup touched her lips – one in the stomach and one on the hand. The one in the stomach caused Lorianne to gasp while the other upset the cup, causing its contents to spill all over her face, up her nose, and into her mouth. She leapt to her feet, sputtering. The coffee cup smashed against the floor.

Umbridge tutted. "Now, was that necessary?"

Lorianne coughed, trying to retch as much of the liquid as possible, and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. "That's my question to you!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? I don't believe I have done anything wrong, Miss Kendrick."

"You just hit me with two spells!"

"Did I? But dear me, I don't have my wand out. See?"

Umbridge raised her hands and indeed, there was no wand in sight. But Lorianne wasn't fooled. In the time she had been retching and trying to breathe, the woman had quickly stowed it away. Besides, there was no one else who could cast a spell in that room.

"You seem to be out of breath, my dear," the woman continued, getting to her feet. She turned to the table behind her and procured a tall glass of water. "Maybe some water should do the trick."

"I'm not choking," she coldly returned, wiping her cheek.

"But I insist."

"I'm fine, thank you."

"Miss Kendrick, I – said – I – in _– sist!_ "

Before the girl could react, Umbridge had seized her hair and yanked her head back. In the moment her mouth was open in a reflexive cry, the woman poured the contents of the glass into Lorianne's mouth.

The liquid not only went down her throat, but into her lungs as well, causing her to cough violently and try to pull away, but Umbridge had a firm grip on her hair. With each successive cough brought more pain. Her lungs screamed in pain as it tried to force the water out and get air in, but Umbridge was relentless. She kept Lorianne's head pulled back and tipped the glass so that its entire contents were drained into her mouth. It was only then the woman let her go.

Lorianne stumbled back, smacking aside her large arm as she did so, coughing, retching, and gasping. She clutched her throat, then fell hard onto her knees, a mixture of saliva, water, and tears dripping onto the office floor from her mouth, nose, and eyes.

Umbridge clicked her tongue again. "Dear, oh dear. That's the second spill you've made today, Miss Kendrick. How wasteful! Do you realize there are many people out there who would simply kill to have even that much water? Or only had that much in a month!"

She didn't respond, too busy coughing and gasping for breath. There was a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach and the sensation of a familiar fear washed over her.

The large woman shuffled over and seized her chin with her chubby fingers, forcing her to look at her. "You shouldn't be so wasteful, Miss Kendrick. Kindly clean this up – drink all of it from the floor."

Lorianne wanted to snap at her, to snarl that she was out of her mind, but when she looked at the woman, she found she couldn't say anything. Looking at Umbridge's sneering face, hearing her lofty yet sneering voice, her actions… everything reminded the girl of _that_ woman. The woman who'd done the same thing, but on a larger scale, for years with the monster she called her husband. The woman who had the same exact black hair and face as Lorianne herself.

Subconsciously, she started shaking, her old fear taking over her again. Lorianne tried pushing that away, reasoning that it was _not_ her mother standing in front of her – it was Umbridge. That unbearable, tyrannical toad that she would have loved to deck in the face right then and there. And at that moment, she needed to get out of there. Before something even worse happened.

"Miss Kendrick?" Umbridge spoke up, her grin widening. "Did you not hear me? I told you to drink up the mess you've made. And do make sure you drink everything. We can't have you being so wasteful."

"Kiss my arse," Lorianne spat.

The smile disappeared from Umbridge's face and she stood up, rigid.

"I see you're still very rebellious," she said in an even, but cold voice. "But that will change."

With a deft wave of her wand, the spill on the floor disappeared without a trace. She then walked back around her desk and brought out a small box from within one of the drawers. Lorianne watched her warily, slowly getting back to her feet.

Her head was spinning and her chest felt like lead, but as far as the girl could tell, she was all right. There was no lasting damage and it definitely didn't feel like there was some sort of poison running through her. At least, not at that moment. It could've been a slow acting one. Then again, when Umbridge was pouring water down her lungs, she didn't seem to taste anything out of the ordinary…

"Now then – " Umbridge made her way back to Lorianne, who instantly took a step away. A horrible sneer crossed her face. " – Miss Kendrick, would you mind telling me if you were really talking faster than your mind when you insulted me?"

Her mind thought yes, but her mouth said, "No."

Lorianne clapped a hand over her mouth as soon as her response left it, her eyes wide. The sneer on the toad-woman's face grew predatory as the horrible truth sank into the girl's stomach. She now knew why the water and the coffee didn't taste any different.

Umbridge didn't poison her – she had mixed the drinks with Veritaserum.

"Let's began, shall we?" the supposed Ministry employee said in her simpering voice.

* * *

I think I may have twisted Umbridge a little far with this...

There goes Part One - Part Two comin' right up.


	2. Chapter 2

Here's Part Two!

Thanks again for reading.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. :I

 **Warning: There are mentions of abuse.**

* * *

What happened next was nothing short of a nightmare.

Once Umbridge had ascertained the serum was working, she whipped out a clipboard and began asking Lorianne intrusive questions – questions about her heritage, if she was a spy, her darkest fears, her weaknesses – she asked about everything. The black-haired girl naturally wanted to keep her mouth shut and refuse any of that information, but before she even knew what was happening, the truth was stumbling out of her mouth. She tried gritting her teeth and staying silent a few times, but in the end, the truth was wrenched out of her.

But as the interrogation wore on, Lorianne found it easier to withstand the effects of the Veritaserum. Like with all potions, the potency would start to fade with time. Umbridge noticed after the third successive question where Lorianne was able to grit her teeth and keep her mouth shut. In retaliation, she flipped open the box, where Lorianne spotted seven sinister looking quills that seemed to have tubes in the middle, snatched up a quill, and sank the nib into the inner part of Lorianne's elbow.

She screamed.

The pain was immediate and intensified by the second. The girl noticed with horror that the instant the nib was far enough, the tube inside started filling up with red liquid – with her blood. A blood-sucking quill.

"Don't worry – it won't kill you," she told Lorianne in a false sweet voice, "but it will be more than painful enough for you to ingrain into your mind _not_ to cross with me again. And please take care not to pass out as I do this – you do and I'll have you back next week for the next round. Until you understand what you have done."

As soon as that pen was filled, she lashed out with the second. Lorianne howled.

By the fourth quill, she had lost enough blood that her legs didn't have enough strength to hold her up anymore and buckled beneath her weight. She fell into an ungraceful heap on the floor. Umbridge tutted and shook her head, but her sadistic grin never left her face.

It felt like hours had passed before all seven quills were filled – one for each of the pulse points in the body. Umbridge took care to make sure she saved the last two for the temple and the neck, where the pain sensitivity was the highest. At that point, Lorianne had lost so much blood and was in so much pain, she could barely manage out a whimper.

"Do take care _not_ to bleed on my floor!" Umbridge called after Lorianne cheerfully as she staggered out to her feet. "For every filthy drop of blood I find, I will dock you a point!"

Lorianne tried to growl, but nothing came out of her throat. With the way she had been laying and the size of the holes in her skin, no doubt she'd already bled out a bit.

She stumbled to the door and tried to pull it open, but was far too weak to. Her entire body felt like lead. Then – without warning – the door shot open, causing her to fall backward. An invisible hand caught her by the wrist then bodily threw her out onto the cold marble floor outside Umbridge's office. She looked up to find her holding her wand out with a curious tilt of her head. The door slammed shut on her ankle.

There was a loud crack that muffled Lorianne's exhausted cry. She felt something in her leg splinter and break. She swore she also heard some blood splattering onto the door frame. She slammed her fist against the ground as the door continued to try to shut. Just as it felt like it was about to cut off her foot, the door opened and she seized the opportunity to snatch her foot back, ignoring the intense stabbing pain shooting up her leg.

The door snapped shut, leaving Lorianne in a shivering mess in the hallway.

Umbridge, she decided right then, was just as bad as her mother and father. Although, if it was one of those two, they would've definitely closed the door on her foot until it came off.

A lump welled in her throat and the black-haired girl let out a horrible sob.

After all that effort… all that effort to make sure she wouldn't be caught in the same situation again, from avoiding the house altogether, to staying for as long as she could at her neighbors or Hogwarts… She could see all of that just spiraling down the drain. Not to mention, Hogwarts was supposed to be her safe haven. It was supposed to be the place where absolutely none of that would happen. At least, not from the adults. If it were from the kids around her age, she could somehow handle that, she could stand up for herself.

Lorianne took a deep, shuddering breath and slowly pushed herself onto her elbows, nearly collapsing when pain shot through her. She shouldn't stay there any longer. Not only did she have a terrible open fracture, she was in terrible danger of bleeding out. As it was, she was already in shock.

"Fuck…!" she swore.

She tried to count her breaths in hopes of calming herself down. But no matter who she tried, she couldn't push herself higher than her elbows – her arms would shake like mad and she would fall right back down. She slammed her fist against the marble stone with another "Fuck!" as angry tears cascaded her face.

"You still have the energy to curse like that in spite of your condition?"

Lorianne's head shot up at the hushed, but familiar, voice. At the same time, there was soft _whoosh_ and something brushed around her ankle. She made a movement to look down, but a rough, yet warm, hand grabbed her chin. Black robes followed the hand, almost as if to shroud her in them.

"Do not," came the deep, stern voice of Severus Snape from above her. Like before, he spoke in a hush, as to not alert anyone of his presence. "Look straight ahead and monitor your breathing. I am about to split your leg."

She balled her fist and scrunched her face in preparation. Snape's hand left her chin and there was a faint feeling of his wand tapping against her leg.

A second later, the pain lessened. Breathing became a little easier. She heard him mutter something else, but couldn't feel anything else. Maybe he was cleaning up the blood.

A swish of robes and Snape was back at her side. With gentleness Lorianne would never have expected him to possess, he turned her onto her back. He took one look at her face, narrowed his eyes, and gathered her into his arms with ease, standing as if she weighed nothing.

Once they were out of earshot of Umbridge's office, Snape spoke up again. "You will have to bear with your broken ankle for a bit, Kendrick. I do not have the skills to repair it well and you will be unable to see Madam Pomfrey for a few days."

Lorianne was shocked to find her voice still working when she asked, "Why?"

His lips curled into an irritated frown. "It would seem Professor Umbridge has sent a message to Madam Pomfrey beforehand to refuse you service, should you even make it up to the hospital wing tonight. Or for the next few days, for that matter. From what I have gathered, Professor Umbridge has been taken daily reconciliations of Madam Pomfrey's inventory. No doubt she will do the same for the next few days to make sure Madam Pomfrey truly has kept to her word."

She frowned, blinking hard as she tried not to pass out. "And if Madam Pomfrey did?"

"Professor Umbridge has promised to suspend the school's only medi-witch should she find even one speck of an ingredient out of place." The tone Snape took on was one of disgust. "That, of course, will prove quite detrimental, considering the amount of accidents we tend to have at this school."

As he talked, Lorianne thought it was quite odd for Snape to be talking so much. Sure, sometimes he went on tangents and the like, but the most she'd ever seen him do that was in a classroom setting. Outside, he was almost always scrutinizing someone with a deep frown. It took her a couple extra seconds to realize he was talking to keep her focused on him. So she wouldn't pass out.

Lorianne felt a rush of gratitude toward the Potions Master. He was a bit of a jerk and gave off the vibe he could care less about everyone, but he was clearly going out of his way to make sure she was taken care of.

"Did… did Madam Pomfrey ask you to…?" Her voice failed to finish the question, fading, and he shot her a slightly alarmed look.

When he saw she was still awake, Lorianne felt the tension beneath her, in his arms, relax slightly. "Yes. Since I am the Potions Master and could easily make potions like the ones she uses, I would be the best suited to assist you. Although… I had not expected you to nearly lose your foot as well tonight."

"I'm… sorry…"

"Are my ears deceiving me or are you apologizing for what the enemy has done to you, Kendrick?"

"…am I allowed to say… 'fuck that' to that…?"

A smile tugged the corners of Snape's mouth. "I daresay you already have."

She managed a weak laugh.

Snape pushed open the door to his office, closed it with a sharp snap, and laid Lorianne on a small cot piled with pillows, so she was more sitting than lying down. He then strode over to one of his many shelves. "You have done nothing wrong, Kendrick."

She glanced at him with weary surprise. "Insulting a teacher… is doing nothing wrong?"

"If it was me, you would be given detention for a month," he agreed, lifting a bottle to eye. "But Dolores Umbridge is not a teacher – she is an employee of the Ministry of Magic."

"…isn't that _worse_ , Professor Snape?"

"Are you trying to say you deserved what you got, Kendrick?"

Lorianne froze the moment she opened her mouth to say no. She didn't deserve the physical abuse she just went through, but her voice wouldn't work to say it. She understood why Umbridge was so mad, but what she did was taking it a bit too far and Lorianne didn't deserve it. She knew that, and yet – and yet –

An image of her mother flashed before her eyes, holding a large pitcher that was dripping in one hand and her other placed on her hip. There was a twisted sort of anger on her face, but a sense of satisfaction too – satisfaction from the physical pain she had just put her daughter through.

 _"You deserved it, you filthy brat,"_ she hissed. _"For existing like you have, you deserve everything we throw at you. You don't deserve happiness or to live."_

She inhaled sharply, her eyes dilating.

"Kendrick," came Snape's sharp voice. "Do not fall asleep."

Her lip trembled. She stared straight ahead, where her mother was standing, snarling. "I… I don't…"

"Kendrick?"

This time, Snape's voice was confused and she could hear his footsteps nearing.

Involuntary tears slid down her face. "N-no… I don't… I don't deserve… I didn't…" She rose her tearful gaze to meet his confused and startled one. "Did I deserve what I…?"

He only stared at her, unsure what to say.

She looked down at her lap, where her hands somehow balled into fists. Tears splashed against them.

"I thought… I thought Hogwarts was the place… where I c-could be safe…" she whispered, her voice trembling. "Wh-where… I could be… be away from… from _them._ "

"From whom?" Snape knelt. For a split second, Lorianne thought she heard his voice soften.

"M-my… my parents…" she choked out, slumping. "Th-they would always… always find… something to hit me for… to p-punish me… even though I didn't do it… They always told me… it was my fault… I deserved it and th-that… that I…" Her voice went quiet as she let out another horrible sob. "Hogwarts was supposed to be my safe haven… th-that's what I always thought…! People could bully you… but if you… if you played your cards right… there would be people who would… who would stand up for you…! And the teachers… the teachers would only say things like that… if you should've known better…! They would never… they would never…!"

Lorianne couldn't finish her sentence. She slumped even more, her forehead almost touching her knees.

There was a sudden grip on her shoulder.

"Kendrick, look at me."

She did and found Snape look at her with an expression she never thought he could possess – sympathy.

"Hogwarts is, and will always be, your safe haven," he told her. His tone was a little aggressive, but it was sincere. "You have already been here for five years – you have proof yourself that anything you have experienced at home is not present here."

"B-but… Professor Umbridge – "

"Umbridge is only one bad egg in the dozen. Yes – it only takes one to ruin what you have so painstakingly built. I agree. But Umbridge will not be here by the end of the year. And when you look back on it, this will only be a needle in the haystack of good memories."

Lorianne stared at the Potions Master. Among the many firsts she had seen of him today, she also had not expected him to comfort her or be capable of it. But when she looked in his eyes, she saw not only sympathy, but understanding. It was then she realized he _knew._ He knew exactly what she had been through, what she had tried so hard to hide, to pretend none of it had happened because she had feared they would pin the blame on her. Tell her she deserved it. Just because she existed.

"From now on, no one will hurt you again," he continued. There was a hidden fury in his voice. "Not Umbridge, not your peers, not even your parents. I will be _damned_ if I ever let that happen on my watch."

Her eyes widened. "Pro – "

He leaned forward. A second had passed before Lorianne realized he was hugging her, tightly, and that his scent comprised of the potion ingredients he often surrounded himself with. It was similar to the scent she often found herself surrounded by during the summer, when she was at the only other place she called home, and she instinctively relaxed against his embrace.

Snape pulled away a moment later, slightly flustered and definitely awkward. "Do not fall asleep, Lorianne. I will have the Blood Replenishing Potion done shortly. Then we will deal with your ankle."

She stared at his back as he headed back to his workstation, stunned to hear her name from his lips. She let out a small smile. "Thank you, Professor…"

* * *

I profess that I am slightly, a bit, infatuated with Professor Severus Snape...

Part Three is a go! Let's go!


	3. Chapter 3

The final part of what I originally intended as a short one-shot. Woops.

Thanks again for reading.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. :I

 **Warning: There are mentions of abuse and death threats.**

* * *

After Snape healed Lorianne to the best of his ability, he escorted her back to Gryffindor Tower, where he made her promise not to go to classes the next day. It was an odd request, especially coming from a teacher, but she complied, using the excuse she had fallen ill the night before. Her friends didn't believe her – rather, they suspected it was Umbridge's doing, but knew better than to pry and left her alone.

Sometime after breakfast, she was greeted with a surprise visit from McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey.

"Um, Professor, Madam Pomfrey's not supposed to – " Lorianne began.

"I am well aware, Kendrick," she cut across patiently. "Which is exactly why we are doing this now, when everyone is gone and while Professor Umbridge is occupied with class."

"But what about Madam Pomfrey's stocks?" she asked. "Professor Snape said Professor Umbridge will suspend Madam Pomfrey if even one thing is out of place!"

"I am well aware of that as well," the older woman responded. "Professor Snape has been gracious enough to allow us to use his stocks once again and continue to do so until your injuries have been healed."

"Oh…"

Madam Pomfrey walked around her bed. "Let's see your leg, Kendrick."

"Y-yes, ma'am." Lorianne pulled back her covers to reveal her broken ankle, still held together with the cast Snape had created. "Professor Snape stopped me from looking at it last night, but I'm pretty sure it's pretty bad. I haven't been able to feel my foot since then."

She pressed her lips into a thin line, her wand hovering over the plaster. "What happened?"

"Professor Umbridge tried to shut her door on it with magic after she threw me out," she answered. "It felt like it was about to cut my foot off before she reopened the door in a second attempt."

Both women visibly started and their expression darkened.

"Does she believe… that just because she is a high-ranking Ministry official, she has every right to torture or harm a student like this?!" Madam Pomfrey demanded.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Poppy," McGonagall responded, her voice tight with rage. "No doubt it might just be because she has a personal grudge against Kendrick. I have noticed she's particularly partial toward those who are as demeaning as her while those with good will are in her bad books. She has a penchant for putting Potter in bad limelight as of late."

"So I've heard," she muttered. "All right, Kendrick, I'm going to take this cast off. It may hurt, so bear with me for a moment, all right?"

"I think I should be bracing more for what I'm going to _find_ ," Lorianne muttered, gripping her leg.

The grim look on the nurse's face said she agreed with her. She made a little wave with her wand, then tapped the plaster once.

All three of them inhaled sharply. The older two women from the sight of the ankle while Lorianne from the intense pain that hit her.

The injury was far worse than any of them imagined, although Lorianne had an inkling. The bone has clearly been splintered and was poking out of the skin, which was torn terribly. True to what the girl had figured the previous night, her foot had been extremely close to amputated. It was a miracle in itself that it was still even attached to her leg.

Madam Pomfrey drew in a shaky breath. "You're going to be in for a very painful next few weeks, Kendrick. I have no doubt I can get this healed with very little lasting after effects, but thanks to our precarious situation, it's going to be extremely hard to."

She gave Lorianne's leg a soft tap and the injury slowly started to mend itself.

"The bone is the easiest to fix," she continued, "but everything else will be a little harder. You're going to have to take a couple of different potions a day to be able to stop the pain and regrow what's been torn out… Also, your foot's going to stay numb for an extra few days. Maybe longer."

"But I will regain use of it… right?" Lorianne asked hopefully.

"Yes, but I don't know how well," the nurse responded grimly. "Let's first hope and make sure we can keep your foot alive until your leg's healed enough to reattach itself."

The girl looked McGonagall straight in the eye. "Can I go back and punch my fist through her head?"

"I can't deny that I want you to do that just as much as you do, but unfortunately, I'm afraid you can't," the professor answered, her voice slightly shaky. "Remember – Dolores Umbridge is a Ministry official just as much as she is a Hogwarts teacher."

Lorianne made a small grumble, trying not to wince as another wave of intense pain passed through her.

There was the barest of smiles on McGonagall's face. "Lorianne, as you know, we need to keep Madam Pomfrey's treatment on you as secret as possible. You're a bright student, so being able to create your own cast and heal the smaller wounds should not raise any eyebrows, but you need to keep that cast on as long as possible. Do not make any indications that neither Madam Pomfrey, Professor Snape, nor I am helping you, understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," she responded.

"Good."

"Is suspension also the reason why Professor Dumbledore hasn't been informed?"

McGonagall's nostrils flared. "Yes. Although, I find that we'd be hard-pressed to find justice – after all, the Ministry isn't very kind toward Professor Dumbledore these days."

"The Minister is going to regret he never listened to Albus," Madam Pomfrey agreed, procuring a piece of parchment, a quill, and an inkwell. She began scribbling on the parchment.

"It's funny how he listened to Albus very well up until last year."

Lorianne couldn't help but ask, "Is he in denial that he's back?"

"It's quite likely," McGonagall answered, accepting the piece of parchment from her colleague.

"I find that a little hard to believe," she commented. "I mean… it's one thing to be in denial about it and keep anything pertaining to Voldemort – " Both women winced. " – covered up, but to go as far as to attack Harry and Professor Dumbledore and try to discredit them… Haiden told me the Minister is trying very hard to make sure Harry gets punished into silence."

"This may hurt us in the long run, but we'll do what we can." McGonagall rolled up the piece of parchment and looked at the girl over her glasses. "As will you, Lorianne. Make sure not to let Professor Umbridge know you've been taken care of."

She smiled her normal, cheeky smile. "Don't worry, Professor. That won't be a problem."

* * *

It wasn't difficult at all for Lorianne to disguise her mending injury. All she had to do was keep the cast on – which she had to do anyway – and walk around with some rather crudely made crutches. Many of her peers asked her what was wrong, but she merely brushed it off as an accident. Only Hermione and Henry suspected otherwise, but neither of them pressed for answers.

Umbridge, on the other hand, did. Each time she and Lorianne saw each other, the woman would ask her if her ankle was feeling all right. Of course, Lorianne would always reply that it was fine with a fake smile and excuse herself. She would never give the old toad satisfaction that she had gotten under shell. No way.

Snape found increasingly clever ways to get Lorianne to his office to give her more potions. The others thought she was getting in trouble because she was having trouble making good potions as of late. It was during those visits that Madam Pomfrey gave her checkups to make sure her leg was healing properly.

And then, in a blink of an eye, the holidays were almost upon them.

Of course, being a fifth year, Lorianne wasn't surprised it came as fast as it did. Between her injuries and steady flow of homework, she didn't even notice the days passing.

One morning, three days before the end of term, Lorianne traipsed to the Great Hall to find many of the Gryffindors huddle together toward the end of the table. She hobbled over.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

A few of them jumped and whirled around in surprise. Henry and Julie gave each other uncertain glances, which told Lorianne it had something to do with her. And the abnormally large package sitting on the ground. And the letter in Henry's hands.

The corner of her lip curled in a sort of knowing smirk when she got a glimpse of the handwriting. "Is that from my mother?"

They avoided her gaze.

She reached for the letter. "What does she have to say – "

She stopped in mid-sentence and her smirk disappeared from her face.

 _Your father and I got a scathing letter from one of your professors yesterday, a Dolores Umbridge. Insults? Talking out of turn? Promoting violence and threatening the safety of other students? After all these years of teaching you not to do something as savage as that… and this is how we get rewarded in return? It seems no matter what we do to you, no matter how many times we have taught you to do the right thing, you can't do it. We gave birth to you, fed you, housed you, gave you a place to live and this is how you repay us? With years and years of headache and disobedience? You worthless, filthy, ungrateful brat. If punishment isn't enough for you, then fine. Consider yourself abandoned. We are severing all ties with you. You are no longer our daughter and no amount of begging will change our minds. Have fun._

 _All of your belongings are in that package. Don't you even dare think about stepping foot in our neighborhood again – I promise the moment one of us sees you, we_ will _kill you._

 _p.s. Professor Umbridge also told us a little of the punishment she was going to give you. She should've done more than that – like kill you like the little worm you are. Obstinate brat. You don't deserve to live!_

Lorianne's lip trembled at the last line, but she managed to keep her face unreadable as always. She crumpled the note in her fist and forced a wide, slightly strained smile onto her face.

"So," she began brightly. "Who would like to help me haul my crap to the dormitory?"

"Aren't you… aren't you mad… or something?" Julie said in hushed tones.

"Mad?" she echoed. "Why the bloody hell would I be mad?"

"You… you just got kicked out on the streets!" she pointed out.

The girl shrugged half-heartedly. "Been expecting that for years. I'm not exactly the 'model daughter' that those two have been hoping for."

"Yeah, but you didn't expect them to send you death threats!" Henry snapped, appalled and furious at her lack of concern. "You've always hoped you could get kicked out so you could live with Mum, Dad, and me down the street, but now you can't even do that! You take one step – "

" _Shut up!_ " Lorianne snarled.

"!" Her peers jumped back, alarmed. Henry suddenly looked very guilty.

She took a second to recompose herself and whipped out her wand. "Since nobody wants to help, I'll take this up myself. _Locomotor package!_ "

She tucked the wand under two fingers as she hobbled off on her crutches.

* * *

" _Fuck!_ "

Sweat beaded down her face as Lorianne sat against the walls, breathing heavily. As it was, it was extremely difficult for her to go up the stairs on crutches. It was ten times harder to do whilst holding a wand to bring an abnormally large package up with her.

She sat down heavily on the floor, resting her head against the wall as she stared at the ceiling.

"Kicked out… huh…?" she muttered to herself.

"Is that what that was about?"

"…!" Lorianne turned in time to see Snape flick his wand and the large package lifted off the ground again.

"Up you get," he ordered. "We're going to my office."

She obeyed. "Why?"

"To talk."

A couple of sixth year Ravenclaw students hurried passed and Lorianne said, "If it's about my poor performance again in the last class, I can explain."

"This is the _third_ time this happened in the past week, Kendrick," Snape snapped. "I do not care if you are injured – you make potions with your hands, not your foot. I have half a mind to give you extra homework to explain where you went wrong and what you should have done."

"Please, Professor, don't! I already have enough homework as it is!"

"If it will teach you to smarten up, then you _will_ do it."

The pair headed down a set of stairs, into the dungeons.

"But, Professor, that's just a waste of my time," Lorianne protested with a grin. "Since I already get outstanding grades in Potions."

"Wipe that grin off your face before someone sees you, Lorianne," he responded, the corners of his own mouth twitching. "You're supposed to be suffering, not laughing."

She really laughed this time as they turned around the corner. Snape used the large package to push open the door to his office and set it down at the center. He waved his wand at the door, shutting and sealing it. Meanwhile, Lorianne hobbled over to the package and began tearing it open.

The Potions Master turned to her. "Did your parents kick you out?"

Instead of responding, she threw the letter over her shoulder. With a deep frown, he picked it up, smoothed it, and held it up to candle light.

"At least they had the decency to pack my things in an orderly fashion and not break any of it," she grumbled, sifting through the contents.

Snape strode over the fireplace and chucked the letter into it. "Do you have any other place to stay?"

She sighed and flung herself onto a chair. "I _did_. Until they threatened to kill me if they saw me."

A muscle twitched on his face.

Lorianne sighed and slumped, the tears of misery she fought to hold back surfacing. "I did everything I could to make them happy, you know. I tried to do what they asked. But nothing ever worked. And now I'm kicked out and left to die on the streets. I don't get it. What did I ever do to…?"

"As far as I am concerned, nothing." Snape strode over and peered into the large package. "I have already told you this, Lorianne."

"But to go as far as to wish for my death and for such horrible things to happen – "

"They're undeserving as parents. If they thought children were a luxury, then they should have refrained from having any children in the first place."

Lorianne's hands tightened in her lap. She furiously tried to blink the tears out of her eyes, but only succeeded in splashing them on her fists. Two large hands clasped over hers and she was suddenly aware that her professor was kneeling in front of her.

"Though I say that, I am glad they gave birth to you," he said softly. "Because never in my life have I met someone as caring and kind as you can be. Or as brilliant and daring. You are a very interesting person, Lorianne, and you are strong. You are better than what your parents are. Do not let them or their actions dictate who you are or who you become."

She sniffed quietly, then let out a weak chuckle. "I'm sorry, Professor, but… can I just say it's really weird to have the one professor who's known as the bitter, strict, cruel hardass comfort me?"

He cracked a smile. "I do have that reputation."

She laughed this time and reached up to wipe her tears, the warmth of his hands lingering. "Thank you, Professor. Thank you for listening to me whine and complain."

"It helps," he responded, getting to his feet. He conjured a handkerchief and handed it to her. "And I hardly find that whining and complaining if this is the first time you've said such a thing."

She gratefully accepted the handkerchief. "I guess. Thank you, Professor."

"Now about your living arrangements – " Snape sat down at his desk and frowned at her. " – how about coming to live with me?"

Lorianne stared at him. "Uh… I'm sorry, but is that even _allowed?_ "

"It will be if I adopt you as my own."

She stared at him some more, her mouth open in shock. "A-adopt… me…?"

He suddenly looked uncomfortable and awkward. There was even a tinge of pink on his cheeks. "If… I were to be brutally honest with you, Lorianne, I have always thought of you as such. Despite my… shining… reputation, you have always taken care to make sure I was all right. Even if I was cross with you, you understood my reasons. You may not have agreed with my intentions, but you still cared. I understand if you do not want this and I will not impose anything on you, but I just want you to know, that is an option."

She continued to gape at him for another moment before she realized what she was doing and quickly closed her mouth.

"Well?" he asked, a bit of his former impatience returning.

Lorianne smiled. "I think the surname 'Snape' is going to get some getting used to."

He stared at her before a wide smile crossed his face.

* * *

An ooc Snape! A little whim of mine...

Lorianne's the same age as the Trio, so it shouldn't be weird to have Snape as a guardian.

Thanks for sticking around!

Reviews and Favorites are welcome.


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